The Fabric of Emancipation

July 15 – October 28, 2018

Rokeby Museum | 4334 Route 7 | Ferrisburgh, VT 05456 | 802.877.3406

The Fabric of Emancipation features the work of eight of the country’s preeminent fiber, textile and needle artists expressing what it means to be of African descent in the Americas.

Fabric constructions ranging from costume and quilts, to lace and wall hangings illustrate issues of personal identity, cultural worth and what it means to be liberated (or not) in the Americas today. Some work identifies issues of socio-political agency and 18th and 19th century injustices, like the mannequins created by Sara Bunn to depict the forced removal of free, land-owning African Americans in order to build New York City’s Central Park. Other works — the geometric brilliance of a quilt by Ife Felix and a mixed media tryptic by Laura R. Gadson — address contemporary issues of gentrification and injustices in policing.

Curator Michelle Bishop offers the exhibit as a call to raise awareness that, while fractures exist within the identity of Africans in the Americas, the culture as a whole stands on centuries of significant contributions to history.

Michelle Bishop | 212-491-8581 | Email: michelle@harlemneedlearts.org  | Website: https://harlemneedlearts.org